Original Language
English
ISSN
2227-5843
Number of Pages
12
Date of upload

07 Oct 2015

IOM-MPI Issue in Brief No. 14 - Promoting the Health of Left-Behind Children of Asian Labour Migrants: Evidence for Policy and Action

Despite the political discourse on migration becoming an important issue in the global development agenda, the mental and physical health implications for left-behind children of migrant workers have received less attention. The current evidence base on the health impacts of labour migration, both for migrants and their families, also remains weak. The health impact on families left behind is especially salient for the majority of labour-sending nations that may lack adequate resources to respond to broad public health outcomes linked to increased migration and its cascading reverse impact.

In ‘Promoting the Health of Left-behind Children of Asian Labour Migrants: Evidence for Policy and Action’, authors Kolitha Wickramage, Chesmal Siriwardhana and Sharika Peiris explore empirical evidence on the mental health and nutritional impacts of international labour migration on the left-behind children of migrant workers in Asia. To mitigate these health-related risks for left-behind children, the authors describe a possible multi-dimensional interventional framework that countries can adopt.

This issue in brief is the fourteenth in the series of policy papers by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and the International Organization for Migration’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific that offer succinct insights on migration issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region today.

  • Executive Summary
    • I.    Introduction
    • II.    International Policy Frameworks
    • III.    Effects on Child Psychosocial Health
    • IV.    Effects of Parental Labour Migration on Child Nutrition
    • V.    Existing Support Programmes and Practices
    • VI.    Need for a Multi-sectoral Approach
    • VII.    Conclusion
  • Work Cited
  • Endnotes
  • About the Authors
  • Acknowledgments